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Fossum Creative and San Francisco-based design firm Next Step have partnered together several times over the years to deliver web and video solutions to clients around the Bay Area. This time, however, Next Step was in the process of launching a new website of their own and needed a promotional video to tell their story on the homepage and across social channels. We decided that the best approach would involve interviewing Founder and President Shirin Oreizy along with several members of her team, who could each discuss the role that behavioral science plays in their marketing approach, while also showcasing they types of projects they create, the benefits of working with the team, and the kinds of clients they prefer.

The ShootThe Next Step video was filmed at their San Francisco office during a single day in April 2016. We wanted to capture the collaboration and enthusiasm that goes into each of their projects, so we staged different scenarios and scenes, which the team was fortunately - if not a little reluctantly - willing to act out. That’s the thing about filming b-roll. It feels completely ridiculous and unnatural while you are filming it, especially when you have never done it before and are not quite sure why you are being asked to these things or how it will turn out in the end. So much of what we do as corporate filmmakers involves making our subjects feel comfortable in front of the camera - whether they are being interviewed individually or conducting a pretend meeting with colleagues they work with daily. We understand the method to our madness because we do this all the time. But in addition to running the camera and capturing moments that feel authentic and unstaged, we must also ensure that everyone on the set trusts us enough to just go along with the process. No matter how silly it feels at the time.

The EquipmentAll of the b-roll and closeup interview shots were filmed on the Panasonic GH4 using the Tamrom 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. We monitored the shots using the Atomos Shogun, which made shooting an absolute pleasure. The wide-angle interview shots were filmed on the Canon 7D with the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.4 lens. Audio was recorded on the Tascam DR-100 field recorder and synced in post. All the editing was done in Final Cut Pro X.